Former Nigerian minister, Shettima Ali Monguno (87), has been kidnapped in troubled Maiduguri, the Borno State capital..
Mr. Munguno is a vocal and influential politician, as well as educationist.
The reasons for his kidnap are yet to be determined.
Earlier this week, the Joint Military Task Force, which is responsible for keeping peace in the region, issued a warning that the extremist Boko Haram sect had plans to embark on kidnappings for ransom.
In a swift reaction to the incidence, a journalist Mr. Lawal said, “Shettima Ali Monguno has done so much for Borno and Nigeria as the country’s first petroleum minister who pioneered oil exploration in the Chad basin.
“He retired from public service many years ago,sold his house in Abuja to build a female hostel for University of Maiduguri about seven years ago.
“The only house he has now is the present one near Government House Maiduguri. He also donated all his books to the Borno state library about nine years ago.
“He awards scholarship annually to students in the state, a thing state governments and politicians have only struggled to do.
We cannot at this time determine the exact motives behind the abduction, we only hope the issue is resolved soonest and he is returned alive.